ANOR Central Asian Studies29- Pamiri Lifeworlds

Living through imperial border disputes resulting in the separation of many communities and families, Pamiris find themselves surrounded by rupture, both in memory and contemporary situations in this transborder mountainous region, divided since 1895 by British and Russian imperial border demarcation. This monograph, drawing from ethnographic interviews with Pamiris from Gorno-Badakhshon Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), Tajikistan collected between 2021 and 2023, investigates how Pamiris continue to respond to rupture, using memories of past ruptures to position themselves within their own cartography of Pamir. For some, rupture takes the form of (im)mobility and a fear of coming too close to the border, while others turn to creativity to make sense of the ruptures around them. Through oral narrations and material artefacts, Pamiris learn, feel, and recreate a Pamiri cultural identity which provides continuity in times of rupture, helping younger generations to experience the interconnection of the lifeworld in which they find themselves and, ultimately, imagining Pamir through emotion and memory. This monograph challenges the anthropological assumption that ruptures represent breaks in continuity, arguing that materiality provides continuity in times of instability, with cultural heritage giving Pamiris a way to position themselves in the uncertain present by way of the material turn. In this way, this monograph attempts to draft a Pamiri history of rupture, challenging assumptions of global continuity and relocating historical narratives of the past century to Pamir by presenting Pamiri perspectives on rupture and examining how people remember and respond to times of redirection, uncertainty, and instability. In doing so, this monograph strengthens the growing focus in…